The present invention relates generally to support apparatus for electronic devices, and, more particularly, to a support apparatus for supporting a portable transceiver.
Historically, communication upon a telephonic network required a user to make use of a conventional telephone. A conventional telephone is comprised of a telephone base assembly and a telephone handset wherein the base assembly and the handset are interconnected by a telephone cord. The handset contains a speaker and a microphone to permit a user to speak into the telephone, and to hear signals transmitted to the telephone over the telephonic network. The base assembly of such a conventional telephone is coupled to a telephonic outlet to form a fixed connection of the telephone to the conventional telephonic network whereby communication between the telephone and a remote location may be effectuated.
Technological improvements in the field of telephonic communications, however, have permitted the introduction and use of portable telephonic apparatus which greatly increases the portability of such apparatus.
For instance, transceiver constructions, including transceiver constructions frequently referred to as cordless telephones and transceiver constructions frequently referred to as cellular telephones are two examples of products which have been made commercially feasible as a result of such technological improvements.
Both cordless telephones and cellular telephones permit a user to effectuate communication upon a conventional telephonic network.
While a cordless telephone comprises both a telephone base assembly and a telephone handset, a cordless telephone, as its name indicates, does not require a telephone cord to interconnect the handset with the base assembly. Rather, both the handset and the base assembly include transceiver circuitry for transmitting radio frequency signals therebetween. As no cord is required to interconnect the base assembly and the handset of such cordless telephones, the user of a cordless telephone need not be positioned in close proximity to the base assembly to effectuate communications therethrough. To the contrary, the user may carry the handset to any location within the transmission range of the circuitry forming the transceivers of the two portions of such a cordless telephone construction.
The handset of a cordless telephone is little, or no, larger than the size of a telephonic handset of a conventional telephone, and, hence, is of a size permitting carriage by a user.
A cellular telephone (also frequently called a radiotelephone, or, more generically, a transceiver) is operative to communicate upon a cellular, communication system. In a cellular, communication system, numerous fixed-site transceivers, referred to as "base stations" are installed at spaced-apart locations throughout a geographical area. Each of the base stations contains circuitry to receive modulated signals transmitted thereto, and to transmit modulated signals therefrom. A radiotelephone transmits the modulated signals to a base station, and a base station transmits the modulated signals to the radiotelephone. Two-way communication is thereby effectuated between a base station and a radiotelephone. The base stations, in turn, are connected to a conventional, telephonic network.
A cellular telephone positioned at any location within the area encompassed by the cellular, communication system, may be operative both to transmit and to receive radio frequency signals, thereby to effectuate the two-way communication therebetween.
Increased miniaturization of the circuitry forming a cellular telephone has permitted a cellular telephone to be of a size permitting carriage thereof by a user.
As the dimensions of both the transceiver comprising a cordless telephone and the transceiver comprising a portable, cellular telephone permit carriage thereof by a user, either of the respective transceivers may be carried by the user to permit the placement, and the reception, of telephone calls. However, as a user moves about, the transceiver must be repeatedly picked up and repositioned by the user. If the user is wearing clothing having oversized pockets, the user may be able to carry the transceiver within such oversized pockets. Carriage of the transceiver by the user as the user moves to different locations is thereby automatic.
More frequently, however, the user does not wear clothing having such oversized pockets. In such instances, the transceiver, must be, as just mentioned, repeatedly picked up and repositioned each time in which the user changes location to maintain the transceiver in close proximity to the user. As such repeated repositioning of the transceiver is inconvenient, or the user may forget to reposition the transceiver as the user changes location, means by which the user could affix the transceiver to an article of clothing to ensure that the transceiver would be carried by the user as the user changes location would be beneficial.
For instance, U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 632,248, entitled "Telephonic Handset Housing Assembly For Cordless Telephone", filed on Jul. 26, 1991, by Kenneth Carlson and Steven Emmert discloses a chip assembly for a cordless telephone. The chip assembly permits affixation of the handset of the cordless telephone to an article of clothing, such as a belt, of a user to permit automatic carriage by the user thereby.
In addition to a telephonic keypad, portable radiotelephones additionally typically include visual indicia, such as liquid crystal displays or light emitting diodes, disposed upon face surfaces of the housing of such radiotelephones. As the visual clarity of the information displayed by such visual indicia is dependent, at least in part, by the angle, relative to the visual indicia, at which the user is positioned.
In some instances, the user may position the portable radiotelephone upon a flat surface, such as a table-top surface, to permit display of the visual indicia, and, in order to place a telephone call, to actuate a series of keys of a keypad display. As merely positioning the radiotelephone directly upon the flat surface does not necessarily position the radiotelephone in a most-advantageous orientation relative to the user (either to view the visual indicia or to enter information by way of the telephonic keypad), attempts are sometimes made to orient better the radiotelephone relative to the user.
In some instances, a book, or other object, is positioned beneath one side of the radiotelephone to cause the radiotelephone to extend at an angle relative to the surface upon which the radiotelephone is initially placed. As the book, or other object, essentially functions to form an inclined plane, equivalent structure could be affixed to the radiotelephone to ensure that the radiotelephone may be conveniently positioned to extend at an angle relative to a surface upon which a radiotelephone is positioned.
However, as it is desirable to minimize the physical dimensions of the radiotelephone to maximize thereby the portability of the device, it is desirable to minimize the elements of the physical structure of the housing of the radiotelephone.
What is additionally needed, therefore, is support structure operative to permit convenient carriage of the portable radiotelephone by a user, and also, when the radiotelephone is positioned upon a surface (such as a table-top surface), to support the radiotelephone in a desired orientation to maximize ease of use of the radiotelephone when positioned in such an orientation.